Family members show pride for CCU Baseball team

CONWAY, SC (WMBF) - The Chanticleers are just two games away from winning their first national title, and those here at home will be rooting them on.

Maxine Jordan, the grandmother of one of the baseball players in Omaha says she was overjoyed watching her grandson make it to the World Series finals, and knows just how hard the team worked to get there.

"He wasn't breathing when he was born," said Maxine Jordan. "When they finally got him they had to crush his shoulder to get him out."

Maxine Jordan's grandson, G.K. Young, was told he would never play ball as a child. He's currently in Omaha with the rest of the Chanticleers baseball team, trying to win a national title - the first in CCU history. That's something Maxine says he has wanted since he was a kid.

"He really looked up to Coastal and Coach Gilmore, from the time he was little, he always wanted to go to Coastal."

The Chanticleers' meteoric rise to the national stage has seemed like a Cinderella story to many watching around the country, but to members of Teal Nation, this has been a long time coming.

"They're a blue collar team, it seems like. They put their heads down, go to work, work as a team, chisel away and do whatever they need to do. It's great that the baseball team itself can beat you in so many different ways. They do whatever it takes to win," said Rotelli's Pizza Owner Michael Doherty.

Doherty has been serving CCU athletes for years. He's even given baseball players like G.K. a job to make money on the side.

"When I see them on ESPN, it's mind blowing. To know that he has come so far, that all the boys have come so far. It's just awesome. It is. It's awesome. And I cry and I jump and holler, you probably wouldn't want to be in the room with me. Hugging everybody," Jordan said, laughing.

With game one of the College World Series finale set to begin Monday night, Maxine says win or lose, there are no words to describe the pride she and the rest of Teal Nation have for the Chanticleers.

"I don't think there's any words for it. It's the highest honor that he could have or do, that he's worked for, that he has worked his butt off for, that all of those boys have. It's something that they will cherish for the rest of their lives," she said.

Several of the players on the team have been drafted to the major leagues, including G.K., who was drafted by the Padres in the 32nd round. However, Maxine says future plans have been set aside, and the sole focus right now is for the Chants to bring home a national title.